Indonesian low rank coal oxidation: The effect of H2O2 concentration and oxidation temperature

Abstract

Extraction of Indonesian low rank coals by alkaline solution has been performed to isolate the humic substances. Pretreatments of the coals by oxidation using H2O2 prior to extraction are required to have higher yield of humic substances. In the previous research, only the extraction process was considered. Therefore, the effects of reaction temperature and residence time on coal oxidation and composition of extract residues are also investigated in this research. The oxidation temperatures studied were 40°C, 50°C, and 70°C and the H2O2 concentrations studied were 5%, 15%, 20 %, and 30 %. All the oxidation variables were studied for 90 minutes. The results show that the higher the concentration of H2O2 used, the less oxidized coal produced. The same trend was obtained by using higher oxidation temperature. The effect of H2O2 concentration, oxidation temperature and reaction time to the yield of humic substances extraction have positive trends.